Dealing with Toxic Traits: The Workplace Challenge

The People Impact Podcast

Welcome to the first full episode of the new season of the People Impact Podcast!

We are so excited to start taking this deep dive into exploring toxicity in the workplace.

We are even more excited to welcome our new co-host Ann Betz!!

Please join us in welcoming Ann to the podcast and share your thoughts on this new episode in the comments below.

In this episode Ann and Lisa share their personal experiences with toxic workplaces and toxic leadership. We also discuss the impact of toxicity on individuals, organizations, and the NERVOUS SYSTEM.

Most importantly we dive into paradox of how toxicity has become so ubiquitous in the workplace, and the importance of unraveling and understanding it in roder to start reversing its impact.

Understanding Toxicity and Toxic Traits

Using Dr. Ramani’s CRAVED model we explain the constellation of traits associated with toxic behavior. One of the most difficult things in dealing with toxicity in the workplace is being able to discern what is actually toxic vs what is ”just an off day”. When you can better understand the constellation of the traits of toxicity you can better recognize the patterns of behavior that are having a toxic impact in the workplace.

The Personality Trait vs Diagnosis

We also highlight the significance of understanding toxic behavior as a constellation of personality traits, rather than a clinical diagnosis. It’s easy to believe that what we’re pointing at is a clinical diagnosis, but don’t be fooled! What we are pointing to is actually much more subtel and insidious, and this is one of the many reasons why it’s become to prevalent in modern workplaces. Toxicity doesn’t need to be at a clinical level in order for it to be a problem and cause harm - to both you and your organization!

Impact on Workplace

The presence of these toxic traits can lead to a negative impact on workplace dynamics, communication, and overall productivity. The impact and loss associated is huge - high turn over, quiet quitting, low motivation and engagement, and stagnation.

Addressing Toxic Behavior

Some key strategies for recognizing and addressing toxic behavior:

• Creating Awareness: Educating employees about toxic behavior and its impact can create a more conscious and supportive work environment.
• Self-Reflection: Employees need time to reflect on their experiences and feelings in the workplace to identify any signs of toxic behavior.
• Open Communication: Encouraging communication and feedback to safe channels can help in identifying and addressing toxic behavior within the organization. But these feelings and experience must be taken seriously. We’ll dive into more on this in a future episode.

Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on toxicity in the workplace and how to address these challenges effectively.

Join us in the next episode as we delve deeper into the impact of toxic behavior on organizational culture and strategies for creating a more positive work environment.

Referenced in this episode:

Rutger Bregman's book: Human Kind

Dr. Ramani

More about People Impact:

Lisa Dempsey – ⁠⁠

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakdempsey/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.leadershiplabs.eu⁠⁠

Ann Betz –

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-betz-a6b31018/

https://www.beaboveleadership.com

Reach us at ⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠